Dalit man seeks salary, his former woman employer forces him to hold her footwear in mouth
Morbi (PTI): Police in Gujarat's Morbi city have registered a case against a businesswoman and at least six others for allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old Dalit man, who worked in her company for a fortnight, and forcing him to apologise by holding her footwear in his mouth for demanding salary, an official said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, he said.
The victim, Nilesh Dalsaniya, lodged a complaint, based on which Morbi city's 'A' division police on Thursday registered a first information report (FIR) against the woman, identified as Vibhuti Patel aka Raniba, and others including her brother Om Patel and manager Parikshit, said Pratipalsinh Zala, Deputy Superintendent of Police (SC/ST Cell).
Vibhuti Patel is the owner of Raniba Industries Pvt Ltd, which has an office in a commercial complex at Ravapar Crossroad. In the beginning of October, she hired Dalsaniya, who is into tiles marketing, on a monthly salary of Rs 12,000, the FIR said.
However, on October 18, she suddenly sacked him. When Dalsaniya sought his salary for 16 days that he worked in the company, Patel did not give a clear answer and then stopped responding to his calls, it said.
"When Dalsaniya, his brother Mehul and neighbour Bhavesh went to Patel's office on Wednesday evening, the businesswoman's brother Om Patel reached the place with his accomplices and started assaulting the trio," Zala said.
Vibhuti Patel also slapped and dragged him to the terrace of the commercial complex, the FIR said.
The accused, including Parikshit Patel, Om Patel and six to seven unidentified men, beat him with belts and also kicked and punched him, it said.
The complainant alleged that Vibhuti Patel forced him to take her footwear in his mouth and made him apologise for demanding salary. She also threatened to get him killed if he is seen in the Ravapar Crossroad area again.
They also shot a video and forced him to say that he came to Vibhuti's office to extort money.
In a video, the accused are seen forcing the victim to apologise for demanding salary from the businesswoman.
After returning home, the Dalit man was taken to Morbi civil hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment, the police said.
"All the accused were booked on the charges of assault, criminal intimidation, rioting and under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," Zala said.
Investigation into the case is underway, he said, adding that no arrest has been made yet.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
